The following article about saving money is a very sensitive topic and this is not for the faint of heart and onion skinned, more so when we touch about the common spending habit of most. At least I have warned you. But keep on reading as it might just also wake up your senses. This will also help us save money to be invested later for the OFW Bank that we are pushing to realize.
SAVING MONEY IS AN OLD IDEA
Saving money is not new to us because since the time when we were little kids our parents have already taught us how to save money. And now that we are grown ups and have become fathers and mothers to our kids, we have been urging our children to save money too.
But have we become good at saving money? If we are good at it, then how come we have not saved much? Well, one might argue that how can we save money if our income is very limited.
SAVING MONEY....PANG-MAYAMAN LANG BA?
But do you know that saving money is not only for those who are earning much? In fact, saving money is more necessary for those who earn little!
Ang pag-iimpok ng pera ay hindi para lamang sa mga may malaking kinikita. Kundi sa katunayan, mas lalong kinakailangan na mag-impok ang mga manggagawang mas kakaunti ang kinikita.
Ngunit paano? Papaanong makapag-impok ang isang manggagawang maliit ang kinikita, na kadalasan ay kulang pa ang kinikita kaysa kanyang mga gastusin at iba pang pangangailangan?
CAN THE LOW-INCOME EARNER STILL SAVE MONEY?
Is saving money still possible for people with low income? For people whose income is not even enough to cover their expenses?
Is it possible and doable? Yes! But is it easy? No! It takes some amount of self discipline to be able to save money.
Is it possible and doable? Yes! But is it easy? No! It takes some amount of self discipline to be able to save money.
Saving money is very doable, but it is not easy. In fact some people who are well off in life still find it hard to save money. Most people are able to save something for a while but the habit of saving is not sustained and they end up spending again everything that they earn including their savings.
WATCH YOUR SPENDING HABIT
Each one has his own spending habit, at kadalasan ay ganito po ang nangyayari: Kahit malayo pa ang araw ng sahod, marami na tayong mga iniisip na bibilhin - mga bagay na paggagastusan. At may mga tao na hindi kinakayang maghintay pa ng akinse o katapusan ng buwan upang gumastos.
Oo nga naman napakadaling ikaskas ang credit card sa payment counter sa mga mall, tinataon pa naman na may laging sale tuwing sahuran.
Those who are bent into doing this feel that they have the "right to spend" on anything that they like because anyway it is their money.
WHAT IS YOUR SAVINGS HABIT?
Ang tao, ewan ko ba kung bakit habang may hawak na pera ay parang di mapakali at laging nag-iisip kung ano kaya ang kanyang bibilhin, marami siyang naaalalang mga kulang sa kanyang katawan at mga kulang na bagay sa bahay at hindi niya iniisip na magtipid at magtabi dahil parang hindi pa kinakailangan dahil madami pang hawak na pera.
Pag may hawak na pera kaagad naaalala ng tao na luma na pala ang kanyang sapatos at belt, na medyo matagal-tagal na siyang hindi nakapag-parlor at facial treatment, na kelangan nga pala niyang magpa-full body massage. O kaya naman naalala niya na medyo luma na ang kanyang TV set at LED na ang uso ngayon, o kaya ay kelangan na niyang mapalitan ang kanyang cellphone kasi touch screen na ang uso ngayon kahit kung tutuusin ay pareho namang gumagana pa ng maayos.
At may mga masasarap na pagkaing gusto pa niyang matikman sa mga kilalang restaurant kahit medyo may kamahalan, at least meron siyang maidagdag na mga photo sa Facebook. O kaya naman vacation sa Boracay.
Magsisimula lamang siyang mag-isip na magtipid kapag kakaunti na lamang ang natitirang hawak na pera. They will only start saving when there is almost nothing left to save.
Majority of Filipinos follow this common money management formula:
Majority of Filipinos follow this common money management formula:
INCOME - EXPENSES = SAVINGS
Common as it is but not necessarily ideal. The formula indicates that their priority is their expenses, not their savings - na sila ay makapagtatabi lamang kapag may natira pa sa budget pagkatapos ng mga gastusin. Medyo madami po kasing pinaggagastusan - load sa cellphone, online game ni Junior, at marami pang mga gastusin dahil pag may bagong electronic gadget ang anak ng kapitbahay ay gusto na rin makipantay ng mga anak kaya nagkakanda-kuba na ang mga magulang sa kaka-abroad masuportahan lamang ang luho ng mga bata, na para bang yun lamang ang natitirang paraan upang makabawi at mapunan nila ang pangungulila ng kanilang mga anak sa kanilang mga magulang.
THE COMMON ANTIDOTE
At ang nakikitang solusyon ay gumawa ng paraan upang tumaas ang kinikita o sahod para baka sakaling may matira at baka sakaling may maitabing halaga. But the problem is when their income goes up, their expenses also go up -- di na makatulog pag walang aircon pero dati solve na sa electric fan (naka number 2 o 3 nga lang); di na kontento sa free TV signal at gusto naka cable na kaya wala na tuloy panahon na mag-review ng lessons; ang mga anak ibang notebook na ang gusto at hindi na yung gawa sa papel, at nagagalit pa kapag di naka mobile broadband connection.
Ang anak na high school o kolehiyo ay ayaw nang mag-LRT dahil siksikan daw, gusto taxi na lang papunta sa school at pauwi. Sadyang mahirap nga makapag-ipon kapag ganoon ang kalagayan. That's why many OFWs cannot save much because even if they earn a lot, they and/or their family also spend a lot, that's why they end up with this sad situation.
Their money chain looks like this: BIG INCOME minus BIG EXPENSES equals NOTHING LEFT (DEFICIT sometimes). The solution? Find another job with a higher salary, abroad. Where else? And it has become an endless cycle.
IS THERE ANY HOPE?
Some people have tried this formula: BIG INCOME minus REDUCED EXPENSES equals SMALL SAVINGS. At least this formula is better than the first, but they still work hard to earn bigger income and they try to reduce the expenses to manageable levels: Tuwing sabado at linggo na lang ang online game ni Junior sa computer shop; taxi papunta ng school pero MRT na pauwi; bawas-bawasan ang tawag para makatipid sa load, etc.
Pero hanggang kelan kakayanin ang pagbabawas ng gastos o cost cutting? Dahil kadalasan pag napansin na medyo malaki na ng konti ang naiipon ay humihirit na naman ang kagustuhang gumastos. Kaya ang nangyayari pag may ipon na nauuso na ang big family reunion, bakasyon sa Boracay for 7 days, o kaya pasyal sa Hongkong para naman maiba...at malaman-laman mo na lang paubos na rin pala ang perang naitabi.
Ngunit may nakahanda tayong linya para diyan, at ganito kadalasan ang sinasabi: "At least masaya naman ang mga bata, iba na rin kasi yung makapunta rin sila ng ibang bansa." Then you end up having good memories and nice pictures na pang Facebook, and leave your family and work abroad again.
May pagkakahawig ba ang kwento ng buhay mo sa mga inilarawan dito? Nais mo bang mabago ito? Do not get discouraged because you can change your current situation if you will just give some thought and some sense to the way you spend your money.
How? Well, watch for the next article. It might just help you. Suffice it to say that you can start saving money by watching out your spending habit first!
One might wonder why I am posting this article and if is has something to do with our effort for the establishment of an OFW BANK. It has some direct and indirect relation to that, because your future investments to that OFW BANK should come from your savings, and it is my great hope that this article and any other related succeeding articles might greatly help change our attitude and habits towards savings.
You may send your ideas, suggestions and reactions by clicking HERE.
RELATED ARTICLES:
May pagkakahawig ba ang kwento ng buhay mo sa mga inilarawan dito? Nais mo bang mabago ito? Do not get discouraged because you can change your current situation if you will just give some thought and some sense to the way you spend your money.
How? Well, watch for the next article. It might just help you. Suffice it to say that you can start saving money by watching out your spending habit first!
One might wonder why I am posting this article and if is has something to do with our effort for the establishment of an OFW BANK. It has some direct and indirect relation to that, because your future investments to that OFW BANK should come from your savings, and it is my great hope that this article and any other related succeeding articles might greatly help change our attitude and habits towards savings.
You may send your ideas, suggestions and reactions by clicking HERE.
RELATED ARTICLES:
No comments:
Post a Comment